Closing the Florida governor's race to a dead heat, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the
Democrat, now has 44 percent of likely voters to Republican Rick Scott's 45 percent, compared to
the Republican's 49 - 43 percent lead October 1, according to a Quinnipiac University poll
released today.

Ms. Sink's surge could be tied to voter belief, 44 - 28 percent, that she was a more ethical
businessperson than Scott when both were in the private sector, the independent Quinnipiac
(KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. A total of 89 percent of likely voters say a
candidate's record in business is either somewhat or very important to their vote choice.

"In the last two weeks, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has moved into a statistical tie
with Rick Scott. Her image has improved while his has deteriorated. It would seem that the
debate through television ads about their respective business careers may be the reason," said
Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "At this point
she is winning that debate handily and it is having an impact on the race.

"How the voters feel about the economy is also directly tied to their vote: Among those
who think the economy is improving, Ms. Sink leads 69 - 22 percent, while Scott leads 58 - 25
percent among voters who see the economy getting worse."

Only 20 percent of Florida likely voters say the state economy is getting better, while 34
percent say it is getting worse and 43 percent say it is about the same.

Florida independent likely voters say 50 - 24 percent that Sink, the former president of
Bank of America's Florida division, was more ethical in business than Scott, the former CEO of
Columbia/HCA, the nation's largest hospital chain.

He has a 48 - 42 percent lead among men, while she leads 47 - 41 percent among women.

Scott leads 65 - 20 percent among white evangelical Christians; 15 percent of that group
are undecided or for another candidate, larger than among the overall electorate.

"How that group finally comes down could be a key to the election. White evangelical
Christians are a Republican group, but the relatively larger number of undecided voters might
indicate some may be holding back from Scott because of the charges about his business
conduct," said Brown. "Among many of those voters it may be a question of whether to vote for
Scott or not vote in the governor's race.

"The big reason for Sink's move into parity with Scott has been the turnaround in
independent voters, who are often the key to victory in close races," said Brown. "Because they
are not members of either party, independents are the most likely to be moved by questions about
a candidate's ethics."

Most voters, 86 percent, say their minds are made up and they will not switch their
allegiance, with 13 percent - equally split among Sink and Scott voters - saying they might
change their minds.

From October 6 - 10, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,055 Florida likely voters with a
margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the
nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.

1. If the election for governor were being held today, and the candidates were
Alex Sinkthe Democrat and Rick Scott the Republican, for whom would you vote?
(If undecided) If youhad to choose today, would you vote for Sink or Scott?
(This table includes Leaners)

TREND: If the election for Governor were being held today, and the candidates
were Alex Sink the Democrat and Rick Scott the Republican, for whom would you
vote? (If undecided) If you had to choose today, would you vote for Sink or
Scott? (This table includes Leaners)